Paint applicator for painting the side walls of tires



United States Patent Inventor David G. Keeler 28 Saddle Road, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851 Appl. No. 732,346 Filed May 27, 1968 Patented Dec. 1, I970 PAINT APPLICATOR FOR PAINTING THE SIDE WALLS 0F TIRES 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 118/211, 1 1 8/25 8 Int. Cl B05c 1/02 Field of Search 33/27(A 27(D), 27(E), 27(0); 118/21 1, 258; l5/230.ll

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,494,160 1/1950 Bihary 118/211X 2,563,049 8/1951 Liebelt et al...... 15/2301 1X 2,809,385 10/1957 Griffeth et a1. 401/132X 3,286,573 11/1966 Esch 33/27X Primary Examiner-John P. McIntosh Attorney-John W. l-Ioag ABSTRACT: Apparatus for applying a paint stripe to an automobile wheel as the wheel is rotated including an applicator rod having a paint roller on one end and a guide roller on the other. Spring biased support means urge the paint roller and guide roller into contact with the rotating wheel.

Patented 06. 1, 1910 3,543,718

Sheet 1 of2 INVENTOR.

' Patented Dec. 1, I970 Sheet 2 W T r N A rd .4. m J

PAINT APPLICATOR FOR PAINTING THE SIDE WALLS or TIRES PRIOR ART I-Ieretofore the use of a brush mounted on a hubcap has been suggested, as in US. Pat. Nos. 2,832,085 and 3,044,088. In US. Pat. No. 2,800,874 a device is shown which is adapted to travel around the side of a tire and provide a sleeve through which paint may be sprayed against the wall of a tire. US. Pat. No. 2,074,432 shows a complicated arrangement of a colorapplying roll in association with means for lifting a barrel up into contact with the roll. It could not be used for painting the walls of tires unless some means were provided for supporting a tire horizontally and rotating it.

SUMMARY By this invention an annular paint container and applicator is provided comprising a closed annular paint container or envelope surrounded by an outer covering of fleece" which may in fact be made of natural or artificial fibers, the combination defining a sleeve adapted to be slipped onto, and rotated around, an applicator rod. The rod is long enough to extend diametrically across a tire, and preferably comprises also a roller or small wheel disposed to contact and travel on a tire surface at a point substantially 180 removed from the point of contact of said paint container-applicator with the tire wall. Preferably the applicator rod is supported by a support arm which has means for attachment to a vehicle body, desireably the fender which extends partly around the tire to be painted. The support arm is sufficiently flexible to apply yielding pressure upon the applicator rod to press the paint container and applicator on one end, and the roller or other steadying means on the other end, simultaneously against a tire as it is rotated to be painted. The paint container applicators are interchangeably mountable on the bearing provided at one end of the applicator rod, and the said rod is preferably extensible and adjustable in length to conform to the differences there are in the diameter of different sizes and types of tires.

The invention will be best understood if read in connection with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing an automobile and a tire thereon which is to be painted by means supported from the mudguard of an automobile;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is atop plan view taken on the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detail view showing spring means applied to the mounting means for urging the paint container and applicator into contact with a tire;

FIG. 5 is a view in section showing a paint container and applicator mounted on an applicator rod;'

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing a telescopic applicator rod slidably related'to a support arm which at on one end is ex tended providing a bearing on which a paint container and applicator can be detachably mounted for rotation;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a paint container and applicator; and

FIG. 8 is a cross section taken on the lines M of FIG. 7.

As best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 an annular paint container and applicator 10,'has in its ends the bearing rings 12 which communicate with the hollow interior 14 of the member and are adapted to rest on, and revolve around, the extend extension of an applicator rod 22 (FIG. 6). Member 10 com-- prises the annular-paint container 16 which defines the hollow center i4, and the surrounding layer 18 through which paint from container 16 is transferred to the surface of the tire to be painted. Thematerial of which member 18 is made is referred to herein as fleece but it will be understood that it may be similar to the surface of known paint rollers and may be made of a variety of known materials including plastic fibers.

The applicator rod 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is

slidingly mounted within the swivel head 26 of a support arm 24 and a pressure screw 27 is provided in head 26 to hold the applicator rod in adjusted position. For use in connection with the vehicle wheel which swings for steering head 26 is freely rotatable around support rod 24 to compensate for swinging movement of the wheel. Support arm 24 at its upper end is bent over and provides a mounting for a clip 28 adapted to be slipped over the edge of the adjacent automobile mudguard 30, and is retained in position on the mudguard 30 by the spring action of the clip. The support arm 24 is urged inwardly, toward the outer surface of the tire which is below the mudguard, by the actionof coil spring 32 which is disposed around the bent over upper end 23 of support arm 24, and has one extremity, 32a, attached to the spring clip 28, and the other end, 32b, attached to arm 24 below the coil 22. A telescopic connection 24a is provided to allow for adjustment of the length of arm 24 to compensate for differences in the diameter of the wheel and tire.

Asshown in FIG. 6 the applicator rod may be adjustable in length, the specific means shown in FIG. 6 being to provide tires, is provided, at the end thereof which is remote from the bearing 20, with a member which is preferably a small wheel roller 42 having substantially the outside diameter of the interchangeable paint containers and applicators one of which is selected for its color and is mounted on the applicator rod bearing 20. Since wheel 42 will contact the surface of the tire being painted at from the point of paint application it tends to prevent vibratory swinging movement of the applicator rod 22 and the knob 26 of the support arm 24, and at the same time it reduces friction, and aids the coil spring member 32 in holding the paint container and applicator 10 in contact with the circular surface portion of the tire which is to be painted.

In practice it is desirable that a selection can be made among a number of paint container and applicator members containing a variety of different colors so that individual selection may be made as to the color of the stripes painted upon a tire or tires. When a tire is to be painted a paint container and applicator l0, filled with paint of the desired color, is slipped onto the bearing end 20 of an applicator rod 22 and is retained on the bearing 20 by any suitable means, as for example by the thumbscrew 44. The length of the applicator rod 22 is then adjusted to position both the member 10 and the counter balancing member 42 in contact with the desired surface portion of the tire to be painted. The clip 28 of the support arm 24 is slipped over the adjacent car mudguard 30. With the paint container and applicator and its mounting means new in operative position a sharp thin tool such as a long pin or thin nail (not shown) is repeatedly inserted through the outer fleece covering 18 of the paint container and applicator and through the outer wall of the paint container 16 providing a number of tiny passages by which paint from the paint container wets the fleece covering 18. The automobile itself may then be moved to rotate the wheel on which is the tire which is in contact with the member 10, for painting a stripe on the tire, or the wheel bearing the tire to be painted may be jacked I 1. A paint container and applicator comprising an annular paint container having hub means on which it may be mounted and rotated around a support bearing, the paint container being surrounded by a layer of fleece adapted to transfer color from the paint container to the wall of an automobile tire when the fleece is wetted from inside by paint from the paint container, an applicator rod having means on one end for providing a bearing on which the paint container and applicator may be detachably mounted for rotation, and means for supporting the applicator rod to position the paint container and applicator in operative relation to the surface of a tire to be painted, a roller mounted adjacent the end of the applicator rod which is remote from said bearing, the diameter of the roller being substantially the same as the diameter of a paint container and applicator mounted on the other end of the applicator rod.

2. The device claimed in claim R including spring means biasing the combination of applicator rod support means and applicator rod to swing inwardly toward the vehicle wheel to press the roller and the paint container and applicator simultaneously against the side of the tire on said wheel.

3. Apparatus for painting the sidewall of a tire by rotating the tire while it is mounted on a vehicle wheel, which comprises, a support arm having at one end means adapted to be attached to the vehicle body adjacent the tire, means at the other end of said support arm for engaging a crossarm, a crossarm supported by, and slidingly related to, said support arm, and means on said crossarm for simultaneously contacting the side ofa tire on opposite sides of the hub of the wheel, one of the contacting means being a paint applicator.

41. The device claimed in claim 3 including means for adjusting the length of the crossarm.

5. The device claimed in claim 3 in which the paint applicator is a disposable member and means are provided for readily mounting a paint applicator on said crossarm and for demounting it for substituting one paint applicator for another 

